


When the fuck did he become Ellen Ripley?

by lola381pce



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Halloween, M/M, Nightmares, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 05:49:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5117750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah - the old 'nightmare within a nightmare' scenario... C'mon, the title should have given it away to those eagle-eyed Aliens fans amongst you!</p></blockquote>





	When the fuck did he become Ellen Ripley?

Coulson was wrenched to consciousness by a scream that was torn from his own throat. He shot bolt upright in his bed, sheet pooling round his waist, sweat pouring down his face and neck. His chest and throat burned as he tried to drag deep breaths into lungs that seemed to have been starved of oxygen for too long. 

Adrenaline coursed through his body causing a violent tremor in the hand that pressed against the scar on his chest. Jesus fucking Christ! When the fuck had he become Ellen Ripley? Hell there were worse people to turn into, he thought with grim amusement trying to focus on getting his breathing under control.

He felt movement in the bed beside him before a warm hand rested on his shoulder followed by a touch of lips on the back of his neck. The trembling of his body continued partly because of the last of the adrenalin working its way though his system, partly because of the layer of sweat that was beginning to dry in the cool night air.

“You okay, babe?” asked Barton, his voice guttural and raspy. “Nightmare?”

Coulson nodded rubbing across the crooked seam of flesh where Loki’s sceptre had forced its way out of his chest all those months before. As his hand brushed though the damp hair he noticed the sweat felt strangely thick between his finger tips. Curious he raised them to his nose and sniffed suddenly wary as he scented an iron tang rather than the saltiness he was expecting. He held his hand up to his eyes and in the light of the moon shining through the bedroom window he saw that his fingers were dark, almost black, splashing circular drips onto the white sheet covering his legs. 

Coulson’s breathing became rapid and shallow as the realisation began to set in. The wound was open and raw - it was blood on his fingers, not sweat. Trying to keep his voice calm he whispered Clint’s name scaring himself with the desperation in his tone.

“Now who lacks conviction?”

Coulson’s head whipped round to look at the archer and he cried out in shock as he looked into the glowing blue eyes of Barton, a smile of pure evil spreading across his lips.

“C’mon, babe. Forty winks are way over,” shouted Clint as he clattered into the room his arms full of clothing, choices of costume for tonight’s Halloween Extravaganza being thrown by Tony Stark. “You better get up and get showered if we’re going to Stark’s bash. Fuck! Are you okay?”

Coulson jerked awake as the bedroom door banged against the wall. His hand clutched at his chest and he gasped at the pain throbbing from the old wound and the memory of the nightmare still fresh in his mind. 

Seeing the panic on Coulson’s sweat-soaked face Clint dropped the clothes and hurried to the bed he shared with this handler at the Tower. He sat beside Coulson, one hand resting against the older man’s cheek, the other gripping onto his shoulder.

“Fuck! What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked softly, a look of concern skimming across his face before he made his features more neutral in an attempt to keep both himself and Coulson calm. 

The senior agent looked into his archer’s eyes, his beautiful blue-green eyes and smiled, his own expression changing from one of panic to that of serenity. 

“Bad dream,” he whispered, pressing his lips against Clint’s. “It’s fine now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah - the old 'nightmare within a nightmare' scenario... C'mon, the title should have given it away to those eagle-eyed Aliens fans amongst you!


End file.
